·By 1981 Twentieth Century Fox is purchased by Martin Davis, Denver billionaire and Aspen Ski Company (A.S.C.) is spun off and after another sale in 1983, Breck is still owned and controlled by A.S.C.

·In 1988 a major Tokyo retailer of sporting goods and ski equipment – Victoria Co. Ltd purchases Breckenridge Ski Area – the local community is pleased as they believe Aspen Ski Corp. was treating Breckenridge like a “step child” for many years

·In 1997 the merger is approved and Vail Resorts, Inc. (VRI) is created – Ralcorp ends up with 21.9% equity in the newly created VRI

The Mountain Evolution

·In 1961 the mountain opened on Peak 8 with one double chairlift and a short t-bar – lift tickets were $4/adult and $2.50/child, runs included portions of Rounders, High Anxiety, Northstar, Dukes, Springmeier, Crescendo and Swinger (runs were not named they were numbered)

·In the 1960’s, a Poma lift was added to service the Contest Bowl and the trails were named

·Rounders named after Bill Rounds – original Breckenridge founding family

·Four O’Clock – always been considered the run to bring you back to town at the end of the day

·Mach 1 –speed of sound had just been broken and you could feel you were going to break it skiing down the trail

·In 1971 Peak 9 opened to skiing as Royal Tiger Mountain with ticket prices at $12/day

·In 1973 I-70 opened for business with the Eisenhower tunnel, reducing drive time from Denver to 1.5 hrs

·During the 1970’s the alpine slide opened during the summer, trails expanded (most named after local mines or personalities) including such runs as Inferno, Devil’s Crotch and Tom’s Baby

·During the 1980-81 season SNOW DROUGHT - only 86” the entire season! The resort is forced to close from Dec. 26th through mid-February, skier numbers drop to under 200k and it takes the resort three seasons to see skier numbers recover to start

·During the 1980’s the T-Bar opened up the North Bowl, Beaver Run Resort was built, Peak 10 opened, the Colorado chair replaced the original Breckenridge Lift (#1), The Kid’s Kastle, the administration building and the locker room were built and SKIER VISITS TOP 1 MILLION!

·In the early 1990’s the Imperial Bowl opens for skiing to the public – making the top of Peak 8 in bounds, making Peak 8 the highest in bounds skiing in North America, Mercury Super chair replaced the D lift and Peak 7 Bowl terrain opened as in bounds skiing and the Snowflake Lift (formerly I lift) opened with a unique 45° turn in the middle – making many of the condos on Four O’Clock run “ski-in” and “ski-out”

·The 1990’s ended with HUGE improvements after the VRI creation/purchase, two “magic carpets” were installed for beginners, the Freeway Terrain Park opened – bringing the Vans Triple Crown, Beaver Run and Falcon super chairs opened, 220 state of the art snow guns were installed on Peak 8, TenMile Station opened, The Bergenhof and The Great Divide Lodge were renovated, and Vail Resorts purchased The Village at Breckenridge Resort

·In 2002, Peak 7 opened, serviced by the Independence SuperChair, Peak 9 and Peak 8 are “connected” by the Peak8 SuperConnect, replacing Chair 4 and facelifts are given to the Vista Haus and The Maggie.

·In 2005-2006 ski season Breckenridge opened the highest lift in North America, The Imperial Express Superchair. Reaching a peak elevation 12,840 feet (3,910 m) the superchair can be accessed from 6 Chair and the T-Bar.

·Construction of a new 8-person gondola was announced on March 12, 2006 and the grand opening was January 18, 2007. The eight passenger gondola runs from the downtown Breckenridge transportation center to a mid-station at Shock Hill, through the Cucumber Gulch Preserve, to a mid-station at the Peak 7 base area and ends at the Peak 8 base area.

·2010 marked the opening of several new facilities on Peak 8, including One Ski Hill Place, A RockResort, the new on-mountain room Ski Hill Grill, The T-Bar and the Gold Runner Alpine coaster. Breckenridge also makes history opening the largest known 22 ft half-pipe, open all season long from the Dew Tour in December to closing day in April.

Other Fun Facts

·Four O’Clock run was the filming location for the scene in the movie Christmas Vacation where Chevy Chase took the sled ride into the Wal-mart parking lot

·A Chair was the filming location for the scene in the movie Dumb and Dumber where “Harry” gets his tongue stuck on the chair and it goes round and round

·On July 23, 1887, the largest gold nugget ever found in the State of Colorado was discovered in Breckenridge. Tom Groves walked into the town cradling the blanket wrapped bundle in his arms, and it was appropriately named "Tom's Baby", weighing in at 13.5 lbs. Three days later the nugget was sent to Denver via train... it then disappeared for 85 years. Rumors surrounding the nugget's 85 years of freedom are abundant, including that it was shown at the Smithsonian, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University and Chicago's Field Museum, but none could be verified. Tom's Baby was essentially kidnapped. In 1972, the Colorado State Historical Museum was prodded into examining gold specimens that had been deposited in a Denver bank in 1926. Sure enough, Tom's Baby was found, but over 5 lbs are still missing.

·In 1898 it snowed for 79 days straight! People had to build snow tunnels to get around town.

·Kingdom of Breckenridge or “No Man’s Land” – It was discovered in 1936 that the initial US map surveys had miscalculated the Continental Divide (one survey had it to our west, one to our east). Thus, excluding a strip of land 90 miles long and 30 miles wide of which Breckenridge was part. For many years, there was a heritage festival held every year in August celebrating sovereignty – proclaiming us the “Kingdom of Breckenridge”.2012 – 2013 Winter Breckenridge Fast Facts

Location & transportation– Breckenridge sits two hours west of Denver International Airport (DEN) and 2.5 hours northwest of the Colorado Springs Airport (COS). From Denver, visitors drive 98 miles (159 km) west via I-70, then take exit 203 (Highway 9) south nine miles to Breckenridge. From Colorado Springs, visitors drive 110 miles (178 km) west through South Park and over Hoosier Pass, or via I-25 to C-470 to I-70.

High altitude precautions– The elevation can affect people in different ways. Visitors should be aware of the effects of altitude and make sure to always wear sunscreen, drink plenty of water and limit the consumption of alcohol and caffeine. If symptoms such as headache, nausea, lethargy or shortness of breath persist, visitors should seek immediate medical attention.

About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, and the Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort property and hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and in the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

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